


House of cards

by I_am_sorry



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Anal Sex, Angst, Anti-Hero, Betrayal, Conspiracy, Dom/sub Undertones, Europe-era, How Do I Tag, Humiliation, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Slavery, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-02-28 03:51:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13263060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_am_sorry/pseuds/I_am_sorry
Summary: How do you destroy  something that you love?A betrayed King, who has been nothing but implacable through his life, wonders if it is possible after all: to hold, to love, to cherish -to harm, to bend, and to shatter. In the end it might turn out to be the same. A good man would know the deference. He has never been a good man.





	1. Chapter 1

**Prologue.**

.

.

.

 

\------- to V.A.  
Lucendella, year XXXX  
Spring.

You were right. Sometimes I seem to know what is that I want to say, but more often than not is just impossible for me.

There's a thing, I have clear though: you were right.

We were living in an era of things that were sure to be gone, the splendid era she painted with cunning words, mumbled softly to his ear. We were at the end. He and I, our world had started to crumble before we even noticed it.

He is dead now. Like you asked from me, I can't say anymore than this.

That poem you showed me had some truths, but more lies than anything else:

[We were happy as beggars.  
We were happy as Kings.  
We just weren't happy together.]

This verse here, this is my biggest lie and your biggest accomplishment.

Don't write me anymore, I won't answer.  
  
C.W.-------

 

  
****

 

  
\--------to CW.  
Lucendella, year XXXX  
Spring.

He is dead! Don't you see? You are free now! We are free! All of us!

The King. The black King is dead. There's no need to be afraid anymore. We can send letters easily now, without fear of discovery, without fear of retribution or death.

The kingdom is free, and they are thankful. I am thankful.

I know… I know you don't love me. And you know my story, what the King did with me and my family. I have nothing and you are all alone now.

We don't have to love each other, but my offer still stands. I remember the first night you gave yourself to me, you were beautiful, and I remember the promise I made to you as well; after everything was done, after the King's death, I promised you a home, company. The rest of my life. I am waiting for you if you ever decide to say yes.

  
V.A.---------

 

  
***

  
Lucendella. Winter.  
Year XXXX

  
Ray stared at the letters on his hands, there were more than a dozen of them, and he had only read the last two of the pile. Everything was here, every little step to what had been his downfall. Every word, every action, every thought of the conspiracy. It was evidence of how his death had been staged and then executed. His supposed suicide.

Ray snorted with contempt, at the thought.

The letters, he would read them later. He had to do some things before.

"Your highness," a guard stepped forward, waiting to be heard.

Ray nodded.

"Lord Ward wishes to see you," the guard said blankly.

Ray paused, his voice hard when he answered. "He is no longer a Lord. Cian Ward is not even a slave of my Court now, he is not worth even half of a gold coin you would pay for one of the lowest slaves."

"What should I tell him?" the guard persisted.

"Bring him to me." Ray said, clenching his fingers.

It wasn't long before the guard appeared before him again. Cian following close behind led gently by a chain. Ray wondered if they were friends, or more than that? After all it seemed -just to add another secret to the pile Cian had kept- Cian enjoyed being fucked by men.

Ray inhaled sharply irritated by his own thoughts, feeling his fingers cramp from the force of the clenching on his hand. He didn't care who Cian fucked, unless of course he fucked dangerous men set on throwing Ray out of the throne, like he had done just some months ago.

The guard stilled and yanked the chain forward. Cian came to stand before him.

Ray regarded him carefully; Cian was big, remarkably fit, broad shouldered and tall as tall as Ray himself. Heavy muscles moved with Cian when he did and he seemed to take a lot of space even when he stood hunched on himself, trying to make himself small -his hair was a pale sort of red and it was long, carefully braided and falling to his left side. He had pale green eyes and freckles across his nose. Cian had always possessed a certain kind of particular frail beauty, Ray thought bitterly. Like a jewel. Like one of the collars his mother used to have, done carefully with pale red gold and emeralds.

Ray had used to think so. He had thought he had found his own exotic treasure when he found Cian by the sea, by the docks, when he had been eight years old. Cian had been there curled on himself, almost dead, and so small Ray had had a difficult time believing they were the same age.

"Ray." Cian called to him, a small pained sound. "Ray please, do what you want with me but spare the others."

"I hurt." Ray started calmly, although frowning. "I have never hurt before, only when Solanna crosses me, only ever her has been able to make me hurt before, but you, you managed it too Cian. I am hurting because of you."

Cian gave a little gasp, half a sob. "Please Ray." He begged going to his knees.

Ray walked closer towards him. "You wish for me to spare your lover?" He asked trying to sound curious, an undercurrent of wrath hiding his voice.

"How much did it take?" Ray asked dangerously, kneeling carefully in front of the other man. "How many times did he had to fuck you to make you accept his plans? How many times?"

Cian lowered his face, his hair, the hair Ray had loved to play with so very much, hiding his eyes.

Ray shook his head, and grabbed Cian's chin tightly -forcing Cian to look him in the eye. "I hate it when you do that." Ray hissed.

"You are hurting me." Cian said pained.

And he had never done so before. The common people, the nobles, his Court, slaves, servants, whores, his brothers and sisters, even Solanna when she got to be so much. All of them had known what was to be hurt by him, being it physically or mentally… all of them but Cian. "Welcome to your new life." Ray snarled, tightening his grip and making Cian gasp from the pain.

"How many?" Ray repeated harshly, his fingers going numb with the force behind his grip.

"It doesn't--"

"It will be worse for him if I have to get the answer out of his mouth." Ray warned, watching how Cian went totally defeated at his words.

"I don't remember exactly." Cian admitted pained. "I was drunk some of the times."

Ray narrowed his eyes. "Try harder." He barked.

"Around ten, I remember ten clearly. Five more are blurry in my mind." Cian answered quietly, as if took something too big out of him to admit this. Ray noted, Cian's cheeks had become hot, and flushed with shame.

Something dark curled in his guts at seeing it. At seeing the lovely red he had loved to tease out of Cian whenever the occasion merited it.

"Get him out of my sight," Ray growled, not wanting to keep seeing into Cian's eyes. He needed to get away before he did something he could regret, something harsh -as it wouldn't be ideal yet. Not yet.

 

***

 

Solanna was waiting for him when he opened the door to his rooms. Sprawled like a lazy cat, with her light night robes on, putting to display her fair skin, and the golden curls of her hair spilling over his bed. "How was it?" She asked amused.

Ray wanted to go and maim the bastard Cian was still trying to protect; he wanted to kill him -no, not kill him. That was too easy. Bleed him, make him hurt, make him hurt badly until he wished to die.

But it wasn't time. Not yet. Ray needed to set out an example out of that man. The punishment and death, it needed to be public.

"It was fine." Ray answered between gritted teeth; he knew this situation amused Solanna endlessly.

"And here is the part where I tell you, I told you so." Solanna said with no small amount of glee. Ray admitted she liked to see him unhappy. Solanna was beautiful, long limbed, with fair skin, and glittering pale green eyes –her long hair, golden curls that reached her waist, adorned with a little diadem on the front completed the picture for her. She seemed innocent, but she was anything but.

Solanna was many things; his cousin, his major adviser, and his source of information in the Court –but must importantly she was his. Solanna had been his since they had been teens, fumbling in the darkness drunk with the taste of the forbidden fruit. Ray thought he loved her, maybe. He did know she didn’t love him, not really. She hated him most of the days, after all Ray had been the one to take her most precious person away.

But that didn’t matter right now.

“This is the part I tell you to shut up,” Ray answered with disdain.

“Oh,” Solanna pouted. “But my love, I have been waiting for you all night.”

“I am not your love,” Ray said curtly. The both of them knew this to be a fact.

She smiled cunning like a fox. “And now we both know you aren’t Cian’s love either. It must sting.”

“You very well fucking know, it never was supposed to be like that.” Ray hissed, striding angrily towards her.

In Lucendella a relationship between two men was considered a capital offence; it was punished by jail time or in the whipping post, in the worst of cases it was awarded with death. This kind of entanglements, they were wrong, amoral, and against nature as two men didn’t procreate life. His kingdom who was labelled by the other Kingdoms, like the lands of debauchery, had more honor than any of them together, --Karlann with their loose values, Warf with their uptight ethics, Solnce and Ilha with their neutral ground, all of them allowed marriage between men.

It wasn’t that Ray worried much about honor or about what was right or wrong –but there were things set in stone, things not even him dared to cross. The foundations of the Kingdom, and what his father had taught him, mostly.

“I do know,” Solanna answered taunting, drawing him out of his considerations. “I always knew, and I even warned you about it. Your precious pet, your beloved treasure likes to get fucked in the ass. It’s old news for me.”

“Shut up.” Ray snarled, clamping his hand over her pale throat.

“You know I am not lying.”

Ray tightened his hold on her. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“That doesn’t make it any less true.” She gasped.

“You hate me that much, huh?” Ray asked. She was taunting him to get him to be rough with her. This knowledge was a little clarity between all the red haze of his anger.

Solanna smiled sharply. “I do.”

Ray loosened the hold on her throat. “Still you are going to let me fuck you tonight."

"Very much so. Yes." Solanna purred, licking her lips.

 

***

 

Solanna's body pliant under him, was soft in all the right places, like fine silk. Ray sank into her in one merciless motion, taking her as troughly as she liked. Making her gasp and moan without a pause. Her pale breasts in front him were tempting, and had him moving insider her, forward, harder and harder.

She moaned as he took one nipple into his mouth, and came right after. Ray still kept thrusting into her some more, until he was finished. 

"I am sore now." Solanna complained, stretching her naked body. She had taken her robes sometime during the night. "That's the third time you have fucked me tonight."

Ray didn't think it was worth saying anything back to that. Yes, it was the third time he had fucked her, and yet he wasn't any close to feeling… Satisfied. He passed a hand over his face, and over his hair distracted. 

It was soon to be morning. 

"I have to go." Ray said, picking up his pants. 

"Like that?" Solanna asked curious at his state of half dress. 

Ray shrugged, finishing to put on his boots. "I have things to do. It can get messy."

"Hmmm," 

"I will look for clean clothes later."

Solanna scrunched up her nose. "At least take your night robe with you," she nodded to the robe sprawled at the foot of the bed. 

"Alright." Ray decided a simple robe wasn't that worth the fight so early in the morning. 

He left soon after that. Only a task to be completed at the front of his mind.

The cell was humid, when Ray stepped into it. In the end he had decided to put them in different cells, to avoid any more careful planning. To avoid to walk in any shows of sickening affection, or one last fuck to say goodbye. 

The stench of urine, waste, and death lingered in the dungeon. Ray nodded to the guards posted just inside that had been playing with the prisoner by his orders all the night. He hoped they had left him at least aware enough, to understand what Ray had come to say. 

He stepped forward and finally found him, laying on the dirty floor, Valen Aaria. The man who had almost destroyed him, the man who had plotted Ray's death while veiling it as suicide, the man who had taken Cian away from him. Valen Aaria, head of a long-standing group of insurgency that had caused problems since Ray had taken the throne. 

Ray had thought that after killing Valen's wife and son, he would step down of the group, but he had been wrong. And now here they were…

"Your execution will be tomorrow at morning. It will be public." Ray informed the bloodied male, or what was left of him anyway, after all Ray had ordered to have him totally castrated yesterday morning. Ray had been there when his guards had done it, he still remembered Valen's screams when the guards had started to cut him down, raw. A healer had patched him up afterwards though, to not have him die of blood loss as it would have been too easy. At this point he supposed maybe Valen would be even thankful for death to come and take him. 

Ray sighed, displeased by what he knew he had to say now. It was the law, however. "You are entitled to have one wish granted before your execution comes to pass."

Valen looked at him then, and even down, bloodied and beaten, he didn't show remorse. If anything his eyes glittered in defiance. Valen spat at Ray's shoes, a mouthful of blood. 

Ray lips thinned in a flat line, vastly displeased. "It's the law."

"We both know, you have never cared for the law," Valen snarled between pained breaths. 

"One wish," Ray repeated, ignoring Valen's jabs. "You have until midnight to ask for one." He said turning on his heels. 

"I have one," Valen said just as Ray reached the door to exit the cell. Ray paused and waited. 

"I want to see Cian."

Ray stilled.

"I want to see Cian." Valen confirmed laughing, and wincing at the pain laughing caused to him. "That's my wish." 

"You piece of shit!" Ray snarled strolling furiously  back towards the other. He kicked him until he was short of breath and until he couldn't hear any more bones crack.

"You c-can't d-de-ny my w-wish," Valen gasped triumphant, and mocking. "You said it was the law."

Ray straightened and turned towards the door again, trying to regain control over his emotions, hands fisted at his sides. "It is. You will have your wish." 

"He is beautiful when he comes," Valen panted maliciously, still on the floor. "Did you know?"

Ray halted, and gritted his teeth, hard.

"He gets all flushed just before it happens, he loves to have his nipples played with right in the middle of it, and right after when he is oversensitive." 

Ray closed his eyes, trying to not imagine it... His sweet Cian. 

"Oh yes, he loved every minute of it. Every minute of my cock impaling deep into him."

And that was that did it. He took a cane from one of the guards and lost himself in the red haze that engulfed him once more.

Ray came to himself slowly, he was bloodied, splashed with someone's else blood and sweating profusely. He had a cane in his hand that was shattered to little pieces, and one of his guards at his other side trying to calm him down.

"Your Highness," the guard called at him. "Please, we thought you were going to faint. You were really out of it."

Ray shook his head, and took in his surroundings. Valen was crumpled on the floor, totally still. There was a big pool of blood surrounding him.

"Is he dead?" Ray asked flatly. 

Other guard ran to the motionless body at his words, he took Valen's pulse and shook his head. "Still alive."

All in all, it was a small relief. "Let him recuperate. You won't touch him today. I will grant his wish once night has fallen." 

Ray didn't look forward to it, but it was the law and he had giving his word. 

The guards nodded at him.

Ray thought about Cian just as he left the cell, what this man had said, what he did with Cian, what Cian had let him do to him. What it would mean to have Cian witness the public hanging of his lover, to have Cian witness the cruelty Ray was capable of.

Ray wondered if Cian would hate him. But then again, he supposed Cian already did or he would not have allowed Valen to try and kill him.

It was useless to think about it now, though. A wasted dream, he supposed.

"Cian," Ray whispered with heaviness as he left Valen's cell completely. It was time for him to pay another visit to his treasure.

It was time.

  
.

.

.


	2. I

The man who was standing before him, defeated and sad. Ray hated him sometimes, hated him so much, he didn't knew what to do with himself. Cian. Cian chained and beaten, hurt and bruising, albeit moderately -not as bad as he could have been hurt, never as bad- made him want to scream and destroy everything within distance. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

There were two parts of him involved in this, Ray knew this much; something dark and primal that enjoyed, that demanded, to see Cian hurting for daring to betray him -and something soft and illogical that recoiled at the sight of Cian bleeding.

Ray also knew what part would win. It always won in the end.

"Unchain him," Ray ordered, and his guards rushed to obey.

Cian was dropped on his arms like dead weight and for a moment, for a little moment of insanity, Ray thought about forgiving and forgetting everything -Ray thought about taking Cian to his rooms, and to call healers and servants to tend to him. To put Cian to sleep safely and comfortably in Ray's bed, lightly caressing his hair and watching out for his nightmares, to keep them away, just like he had done when they were little and Cian tossed and turned crying in his sleep.

But the moment passed, and all that was left afterwards was cold contemplation. Cian didn't deserve this soft treatment, he didn't deserve sympathy out of Ray. Not after what he had done. Conspiracy; planning Ray's murder and disguising it as suicide, to put a new King in the throne. The ending of Ray's lineage. All of this, Cian had accepted to be guilty in his letters to Valen.

The letters between two men who had more than conspiracy in them; the letters, they had poetry too, love poetry -and this, this was good, this was an excellent joke…

Because somewhere out there, fate was laughing at Ray. Many of the verses of poetry in Cian's letters that acted as a sort of a code, were verses of poetry Ray had taught him.

It was unfortunate. Very unfortunate for all the involved…

"Well," Ray said Calmly, steadying Cian. "Undress."

Cian who was still confused and perhaps scared of him, opened his eyes wide. "Ray?"

Ray crossed his arms, and nodded impatient. "Strip."

Cian looked down, he knew Ray's orders were absolute. And in the end he did as he was told, with shaking hands.

Ray nodded again and called for the collar and leash he had asked for to the dog's keeper in the morning to be bought. He collared Cian, and fastened the leash.

"You can't even be compared to a dog, as they are loyal." Ray curled his lip is displeasure. "A bitch in heat, maybe?"

Cian inhaled sharply and recoiled as if stung.

"You don't like to hear the truth?" Ray asked coldly.

Cian only shook his head meekly.

Ray narrowed his eyes and tugged brusquely the leash. "Well, that's too bad."

\---

The nudity was supposed to be a humiliation, to parede Cian in the palace as what he was now -nothing. Lower than the lowest of slaves. A cheap whore. It was to make a point and It would serve other purposes as well…

At one time Cian had been the most revered noble in Lucendella. He had been untouchable -the king's dearest possession. A treasure.

And now, now, he had fallen from grace mightily.

Some of the soldiers on guard duty were very attentive (lingering heated looks on naked skin) of Cian and his nudity when they passed by -and just like that Ray knew his views on same-sex relationships were probably only his own. Even as forbidden as this act was in Lucendella, the soldiers seemed tempted to have a taste of Cian.

Ray wondered if Cian would be willing. If Cian would let anybody who asked to mount him?

And how had it happened that the sweet, innocent boy Ray had picked from the docks had become something so… dirty.

Ray closed his eyes and tried to calm his wrath, he tugged the leash roughly and made Cian stumble towards him.

"Soldiers," Ray said flatly. "We are on their training grounds. They are your friends. How do you think this is going to go?"

Cian had had a lot of good friends before -but now, not many were willing to claim him as such.

Shining green eyes with unshed tears stared at him; Cian shook his head again.

Ray tightened his hold on the leash, and took Cian to the middle of the training grounds. Some of the soldiers sparring there, paused and looked curiously at him.

"Who wants him?" Ray asked bluntly.

All of them looked at him wide-eyed. After all, wanting a man in Lucendella was capital offense. And maybe his words hadn't been clear enough.

Ray nodded to himself and spoke again. "There won't be punishment, I promise, but I do want to know, who wants to fuck him? Maybe save him from what I will do to him if none of you volunteer?"

After a pause of uncertainty one of his sub-captains stepped out of formation. "I want to, your Majesty."

Ah yes, just as he had expected...

This one was brave and courageous, he knew whatever punishment Ray would inflict wouldn't be merciful and so he had tried to help. Cian's friend. Ray had seen them laughing together many times. Another lover of Cian's maybe? - definitely a knight in shining armor. Brown hair and brown eyes, moderate good looks, a good salary, probably from a good family. Another traitor.

Ray had a list with their names.

"Then come here," Ray called and Cian flinched.

The soldier approached them, doubtful but obviously hopeful to help Cian.

"Cian here may not look it, given his impressive size and muscles, but he prefers to be the one taken when fucking," Ray paused trying to control his temper. Of his earlier allegations he had enough proof back in his rooms, in the fucking letters. It had been detailed enough what Valen wrote, vulgar writing trying to pass as passionate poetry.

"It seems, Cian, enjoys sex as a woman would." Ray continued. "And he begs when he is delirious with pain and pleasure. So a rape would be fitting, wouldn't it? what do you say sub-captain?"

Cian tried to shrink on himself, to cover somehow but to not avail.

The sub-captain stood right there speechless.

Ray rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. "On your hands and knees, Cian."

At what once again Cian obeyed.

"There, yours for the taking sub-captain."

It was a spectacle now, a show of degradation and punishment. The maids, the soldiers, the nobles -all of them had gathered to witness this, Cian's last step to dishonor.

In the end the sub-captain knelt right behind Cian, and waited to find courage. He started touching Cian's back lightly, a caress to sooth, to apologize.

Cian flinched but stayed right where Ray had put him, on his hands and knees at Ray's feet.

The sub-captain unlaced Cian's long redish hair, to grant him a way of modesty so he could hide his face with his hair. It was a sort of Kindness only someone who cared would think about.

The crowd stared, some afraid, some anxious, some joyful. It was one of the cruelty shows Ray did every once in a while and it wasn't easily forgotten.

In the end the soldier unbuckled his belt, and took himself out -he parted Cian's cheeks and closed his eyes getting ready to breach him-

Ray snapped his fingers again and one of his archers shoot straight through the sub-captain's chest. It pierced lungs and heart and showered Cian with some splatters of blood.

Cian looked up at him wide-eyed, terrified and crying inconsolably. He hadn't been raped, Ray hadn't allowed it, as this show had never been about that -but instead he had lost a friend, a good and loyal one. The most loyal of Cian's friends in the army, and the last one.

The last of the rats that had helped Cian with Valen's plans.

Ray looked at Cian and crunched down. "Promises, as you well know, mean nothing now." He grabbed Cian's chin roughly and announced very quietly. "Every thing you had, you had lost. Friends, gold, honor, and even your voice. From now on you will speak only to me. Any man who tries befriending you, or speaking to you will be held with deviant and conspiracy charges and sentenced to death. Any woman who tries the same will be whipped from sunrise to sunset. Any plant, animal or personal belonging you try to save will be burnt, cut or crushed. You are nothing and you have nothing."

"Yes, I understand." Cian rasped between tears. "But please, please just stop. Stop hurting my friends."

It was too late for that.

Ray stood and waved a hand. "All of you have heard as well, and now go back to your business before I get angry."

It was a good incentive to have everyone moving.

\---

Ray reached his rooms at mid morning, Solanna right where he had left her, on his bed, decadent and lazy like a cat.

She looked at him with questions in her eyes. Cian was behind him, still naked, and trying to hide from her. In a earlier life, Ray may have allowed it, and shielded Cian from Solanna's poison -but now, well…

Ray stepped aside, and left Cian fumbling on his own by the door.

Solanna's eyebrows rose to her hairline. "What is 'precious boy' doing here?"

Ray shrugged, looking for formal clothes. He had a meeting with the council in an hour, to see who was loyal to him who wasn't. It would be interested to see the old men and women sweat with fear, at least. "Cian doesn't have a room anymore. He will sleep on my floor."

Solanna frowned. "What happens when we fuck?"

"He turns around and we pretend he is not there." Ray answered back casually.

"Oh well," She wrinkled her nose. "Whatever."

"You can go to your rooms if you don't wish to be here."

"A Queen is never chased out of the room of her choosing." Solanna commented imperiously.

"But you are not a Queen." Cian said quietly from his spot by the door.

Ray glanced piercingly at him at that. The old Cian, his Cian, the one that loved to read poetry with him, the one who loved to have his hair brushed and didn't know how to lie, used to say that all the time.

Solanna had never taken kindly to those words. As it was a given one day she would be Queen. She had most of the Queen duties, she slept in the Queen's rooms, and she fucked the King (she had fucked him even before he had been King). She was the Queen but lacked the papers to confirm it. All she needed to manage it, was his name in a piece of paper and she would be done.

But Ray had never managed the right time to sign, for a reason or another -and Cian had never let Solanna forget it.

"You don't know when to quit, do you stupid child?" Solanna was two-year older than them, and called Cian a child from time to time.

"He won't whip you for speaking with me." Cian said carefully, he was trembling.

Solanna studied him, and dipped her head. "No he wouldn't."

Ray thought it an interesting conversation. It was as if they both believed he wouldn't be able to whip Solanna for sentimentality sake, as if they knew him that well -and the most interesting part of it was, he knew, he would be able to whip her if need arose. Which meant they didn't knew him very well at all.

Still, he would allow Solanna to speak with Cian -knowing she was no threat, and knowing that if she ever decided on it, it would be face to face (not covering herself in shadows) and with glee on her eyes as she plunged a knife in Ray's chest, and not a figurative one either. It was just who she was.

Ray owed her, and he knew some day she would demand payback.

"Well, this is boring, you are just a pitiful slave now." Solanna huffed and stood up. "I better go find myself something amusing."

Just as she passed Cian by the door, she gripped his arm. Sharp nails hurting flesh, just because she could. "See you." Solanna smiled and left.

"You can look for old slave clothing to dress. I expect you dressed when I come back." Ray told him. "Look in the thrash or something, but don't take kindness from anyone, you know what will happen to them if they help you."

Cian nodded meekly again, and disappeared towards what Ray supposed would be the place where the palace threw old garments.

At least Cian was docile. It was a start. And yet… he had always been docile, but that hadn't stopped him from planning Ray's downfall...

Ray growled exasperated with himself. He had a meeting to see and some people to vanish from his court.

\---

It was strangely sensual to see Cian dressed with his slave clothes -Ray thought sensual shouldn't be ever applied to describe something a man wore, but there was unfortunately no other word for it. Cian had managed to put together a sort of short brown robe (dress) with the rests he had found. It was obvious he had sewed some parts to make it modest, and decent but his height hadn't helped him. Cian's legs were bare and visible, long and pale and good shaped. It was almost as if the robe had been done with the intention to tease, showing so much and yet not enough, with thin fabric -from a good past use and plenty of washing that molded to Cian's body suggestively.

Ray also knew -that whatever Cian had done, betrayal and lies; this provocative clothes weren't a deliberate choise. Cian didn't have it in him to dress this way, he had always been self-aware of his body, this was merely that there wasn't enough rests of fabric to make a decent robe.

Still Cian wasn't getting anything else.

"Why is it wet?" Ray asked from the door as he entered his rooms.

Cian turned to him and looked down. "I had to wash it before using it."

Ray looked at him, contemplating. "After our appointment, you will stay inside this room and take it off to let it dry. I will see for you to have a blanket or two for your sleeping."

Cian nodded.

"Did he ever see your hair unbraided?" Ray asked quietly, trying to tamper the suffocating feeling in his chest, and looking inside some of his old boxes of things, stored in the far end of his rooms.

Cian paused but answered just as quietly after some minutes. "No. I never let him."

"Then braid it." Ray ordered tonelessly, throwing an old wooden brush at him, with an equal old thin green coarse ribbon.

There was a story behind this. It was a cheap brush, and even a cheaper ribbon, it wasn't something a King would buy -but he hadn't been a King when he had bought it, he had been a child, a child of nine years that had saved the coins his father had given him for sweets. With his savings Ray had bought the brush and the ribbon; he hadn't wanted to ask his father for some extravagant brush and ribbon for Cian's birthday, he had wanted to buy it himself.

And he had, but he had never given his gift. Someone else had gifted Cian, with a lovely silver brush and some silk ribbons that year. Someone else who had been important once.

But didn't matter anymore. As dead people didn't matter at all.

Of course, Ray had bested the silver brush with one made of pure gold with little emeralds engraved in it, when he had started earning money working for his father's army before being named crown Prince. Ray had bought and handful of colorful silk ribbons to match the gift as well. But all of Cian's belongings had been taken and stored thanks to Ray's orders, and now he had no brush or ribbons, or clothes or anything.

"Thank you." Cian mumbled shy, starting to brush his knotted hair with clumsy fingers.

"It's just something I found on the wastes, I had a slave bring it to me from there." Ray lied blank faced.

"Thank you still."

Ray shook his head and stilled his hands, that were twitching with the need to go towards Cian to help him with his beautiful unruly redish hair. "Hurry up." He snapped irritated.

They had to go to grant Valen his last wish, and that made Ray unhappy. At least tomorrow would be Valen's public execution and with that all the party of traitors would be dead, well all except Cian. Because even after everything Ray knew, just as he had known with Solanna and the hypothetical whipping, that he was able to hurt Cian physically and mentally, deeply -but he wouldn't be ever able to kill him.

Which was unfortunate, seeing as Cian had proven to be able to attempt against Ray's life without remorse.

"It's- I mean, I am ready," Cian said looking down at his bare feet. His hair carefully braided, and brushed was an enticing contrast with his skin and eyes.

Valen had even said so in one of his fucking letters, Cian was beautiful to look at, and with just the right amount of shyness to make him endearing. A jewel. Valen had called him a beautiful and rare jewel. Valen's jewel.

And Ray had never wanted to kill the bastard more than when he had read that line.

Because Ray had found him first.

"Lets go then." Ray said curtly.

**Author's Note:**

> This is happening in the same universe as 'As time and sand' but you don't need to read that story to understand this one. 
> 
>  
> 
> As always, yep, I am warning beforehand who the principal pairing is: 
> 
> Ray/Cian is the main pair. 
> 
>  
> 
> Also this story is a little slow burn, and vastly different from as time and sand.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Feedback is the best!


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